


Stuck Under the Mistletoe

by Stella_Malodi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bashful Bruce Banner, F/M, Matchmaking, Meet-Cute, Mistletoe, Pranks, SHIP DARCY WITH ALL THE THINGS, Shamelessly Flirting Darcy Lewis, Trapped In Elevator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-18 01:44:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5893336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stella_Malodi/pseuds/Stella_Malodi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Or: In Which Darcy Is <em>Definitely</em> Flirting With Bruce)</p><hr/><p>The woman sat on the floor, reclining against the wall with her legs stretched out in front of her. “Might as well get comfortable. Plan A is ‘wait until Tony gets bored.’”</p><p>“I’m… not sure how well that plan will work,” Bruce said, but sat next to her anyway.</p><p>“For his sake, I hope it does,” she said, looking slightly mischievous. “Plans B, C, D, and E are ‘call Thor, Steve, Jane, and Pepper,’ respectively.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stuck Under the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case you weren't paying attention to the tags: this story is **not** a Soulmark AU. :D

Bruce wasn’t sure how long the alarm had been going off before he actually _noticed_ it. But then, that was something that happened often, when he got absorbed in his work, which was why he had an alarm in the first place.

No one needed a Code Green just because he’d forgotten to stop for lunch.

So, it was without much grumbling that Bruce switched off the alarm, tidied up his notes, and left the lab.

He didn’t have to wait long for the elevator, but when the doors slid open, he was surprised to find that there was a young woman already inside. JARVIS usually let him use empty elevators, or kept the passengers to people he already knew—and he was sure he would’ve remembered meeting this woman. Still, he trusted JARVIS, so he shrugged and stepped inside.

The brunette glanced up from her phone and smiled at him; he nodded an acknowledgement, and she returned her attention to the device in her hand.

The doors closed, and the elevator fell a couple of feet before coming to a halt. He frowned in confusion. “JARVIS?”

The woman pulled out one of her earbuds. “What’s going on?”

The AI spoke, sounding apologetic. “Mr. Stark advises you to look up.”

They did so, and found a sprig of mistletoe hanging innocently above them. The woman snorted, and Bruce closed his eyes, taking a deep, calming breath.

“Are we... stuck on the elevator until we kiss?” she asked incredulously.

“I’m afraid so, Ms. Lewis.”

Bruce opened his eye and turned to face her. “You don’t have to. You absolutely don’t have to. I can find some other way to get us out. Tony shouldn’t have—”

She smiled and interrupted. “Dude. I can think of _way_ worse people to get caught under the mistletoe with,” she said, giving him a very obvious once-over and startling a laugh out of him. She grinned unrepentantly and glanced at the security camera. “Cheek kiss okay, JARVIS?”

The AI sounded faintly embarrassed. “I will be able to let you out, but use of the elevator will require what Mr. Stark calls a ‘real’ kiss.”

She nodded, then looked at Bruce. He looked at the floor, rubbing his neck and avoiding her gaze. After a moment, she said. “I’d rather not take the stairs if I can help it. Is that okay with you?”

His eyes darted up to hers and away. He shrugged.

“That’s a ‘no’ if I’ve ever seen one,” she said, and he looked up, surprised to see she was smiling. “Hey, it’s cool. Like you said earlier: no one is required to kiss anyone if they don’t want to.”

He smiled and relaxed a bit. “All right.”

She sat on the floor, reclining against the wall with her legs stretched out in front of her. “Might as well get comfortable. Plan A is ‘wait until Tony gets bored.’”

“I’m… not sure how well that plan will work,” he said, but sat next to her anyway.

“For his sake, I hope it does,” she said, looking slightly mischievous. “Plans B, C, D, and E are ‘call Thor, Steve, Jane, and Pepper,’ respectively.”

His eyebrows went up. “You know them?”

She turned towards him, tucking her legs under her and leaning a shoulder against the wall. “I don’t think I’ve introduced myself,” she said, and offered him her hand. “I’m Darcy, Dr. Foster’s BFF and former intern.”

He turned towards her and accepted the proffered hand, squeezing it gently. “Darcy Lewis? I’ve heard about you. I’m Bruce Banner.”

Her eyes lit up with recognition, and he looked away, cringing slightly and bracing himself for the awkwardness that would inevitably follow.

“Yes, full set!” she cried.

The unexpectedness of her response was enough to make him look at her again. “What?”

“You’re my last Avenger!”

“O...kay?”

“I’ve been wanting to meet you, but you never show up to group stuff.”

“I’m… not so good around crowds,” he said cautiously.

She nodded. “Understandable. Still, it’s good to finally meet you, even if the circumstances are a little… odd.”

His shoulders began to relax, and he smiled slightly. “That’s one way to put it.”

There was a moment of silence, which she broke by asking him about his favorite color, of all things.

“Hm… Probably blue or purple,” he said. “What about you?”

“Believe it or not, it’s green,” she said. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m flirting with you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “But you _are_ flirting with me?”

“Oh, definitely!” she replied with a wink.

That was… more than a little flattering. But… “That’s not a good idea.”

“Really? ‘Cause it seems like a pretty great idea to me.”

He shook his head. “The Other Guy…”

“Is dangerous. I _did_ actually read that memo.”

“Then you _know_ why you shouldn’t—”

“Treat you like a human being?” she suggested with false cheer.

He scowled. “There’s a big difference between being kind and going out of your way to—”

“Being _kind?”_ she interrupted. “I don’t think I’ve done a single ‘kind’ thing since I stepped on this elevator. I’ve aggressively _not_ been a jerk, but actual kindness?” She shook her head. “Bruce, I’m flirting with you because I _want_ to. Because you’ve got a nice smile and fluffy hair and you’re rockin’ the hot professor look. Not because I’m being _kind._ ”

He stared at her for a long moment, then ducked his head to hide a smile. “‘Hot professor?’”

She laughed, and some of the tension that had been building dissipated. “Absolutely.”

**Author's Note:**

> You guys. My stories have 100,000 hits. _100,000._ I just... WOW. There is a lot of even-ing that's not happening. Because, _holy crap_ that's a lot of hits! 
> 
> So, _thank you_ for all of your support—for your kudos, your bookmarks, your comments, and even just for reading my stuff. It blows my mind. A lot.
> 
> As an extra celebratory thing (because _100,000 hits, holy **crap**_ ), I've also posted an extra scene in "Grave Meetings." So, if you haven't already, go check it out. Because everyone needs to read about Darcy asking Thor to bless her taser. :D


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